Yeah, I know it's over a month away.

Yeah, I'm bored.

Yeah, I'm going to lay out my RainFurrest plans right now. Why? Because I need to bump the Anthrocon recap journal, that's why!

I'm going to twist this meme up just a bit though. I'll start with the basics:

Yes, I'll be there. Yes, I'll be in the main hotel. Yes, I like being plied with food and alcohol. Yes, I'm approachable. Yes, I'm actually friendly, despite the sarcastic journals. No, do not grope me. No, do not be creepy around me. Yes, I do hug. Yes, I do dance. Yes, I do dance more goodly when drunk. Yes, I karaoke. Yes, I karaoke more goodly when drunk. Yes, I am taken.

Now that the boring part's out of the way, I'll spice it up with some resolutions I'm making for myself while at the con. I'm gonna make you guys hold my feet to the fire on these ok?

1) I'm going to be near Seattle, I've got a light-rail train right outside my door that takes me into that wonderful city. Didn't do it last year. You better believe I'll be taking at least a few trips this year. I welcome one and all who want to tag along on quickie breakfast or dinner trips with me.

2) I wanted to do this earlier this year, but lacked the willpower. I still do lack it, but I will reign it in as much as I can. I do smoke and I find that I spend entirely too much time outside the hotel (and the fun) killing my lungs. There won't be any miracle quitting for RF, but I refuse to waste more time out there than is absolutely necessary to get my fix. How will I be doing this? Read the next answer.

3) Fursuiting: Both suits will be with me and both will get steady rotation. I refuse to smoke in suit and I really have no strong desire to either while in suit. I can stay in Bjorn for an extremely lengthy time before tiring. Hunt is a bit tougher, primarily from a breathing standpoint, but I'm constantly working on him to make him more resilient.

4) Friends: I'm always on the lookout for good ones, but I don't want to neglect the ones I have either. I find I tend to hang back just a bit when meeting new people till I can find an opening where I feel comfortable. I'll probably weaken that wall a bit and risk looking a bit less cool in order to get to know more folks.

5) Pool: The Hilton has a very good one and I will take advantage of it, rain or shine. Yeah, I'm a fat bear in a swimsuit -- deal with it! I've been good friends with water my entire life, so I will once again get some quality time in there. Come on by and treat yourself to the refreshing splashes of one of my cannonballs! >:)

6) Con Programming: This one's always a tough one because opportunity to spend quality time with good people always trumps con events. Nevertheless, I will still make it to a couple of these.

7) Photography: Between suiting and running about all over the place like a crazy person at these things, I've forgotten all about what used to bring me great enjoyment -- capturing the moments. I'll be armed with at least my digital camera, maybe my video camera and certainly my GoPro cameras. Hell or high water, there will be video and stills from this con!

8) I will have fun: I was beginning to worry about my place in this whole furry mess earlier this year and if I was still getting the same enjoyment out of it all that I got when I first got involved. AC sort of changed my outlook on that. I want to keep that momentum going into this con and really make it something special.

Can't wait to see you all there! :)

As of a few weeks ago, I really had some serious reservations about going to Anthrocon. The travel was expensive, the hotel = expensive, there was a great potential for mucho drama to fall upon my head, time to get there was excessive, the list just went on and on. Most of all, I was worried I was losing my ability to truly enjoy these cons. The spontaneity and sense of adventure seemed to be lacking out of my last few con experiences. I really was wondering if it was gone for good.and it was time for me to retire from all this once again.

Anthrocon 2012 changed all that for me!

This was my second AC and I thought my last, due to the convention dates next year. Now I'm really, really wanting badly to go back if I can. Time will tell if that'll happen, but if it doesn't, I know this was a great way to go out.

I'm not going to bore you with detailed con happenings, but I'll touch on a few things below:

Fursuiting -- Both my suits were with me, although one took a detour through Phoenix and didn't get back to me until the next day. I can easily say this was the most suiting I got in for any con and, oddly enough, it didn't seem like enough. Hunt was my representative in the record-breaking fursuit parade and I kept in him for a few hours afterwards for some miscellaneous fun. Bjorn rolled out the night before the con began, decked out in his San Francisco Giants gear. When I returned to the room, I noticed Matt Cain was 8 innings through pitching a perfect game for the Giants. Got to catch him achieve that significant milestone on tv. Amazing! I kept Bjorn decked out in the same outfit the rest of the con to celebrate.

Friends - Met lots of new ones, hooked up at least briefly with some old ones and unfortunately never really got to find some others. For a convention that size, that's unfortunately going to happen. If I missed you, I'm really sorry. Please, please track me down when we're next in the same zip code and I'll make it up - promise!

Fondue - Last year, I conned  diesel_rottie,  hitsugaya1987,  rain_oubliette, and  noob-mutt into joining me for fondue at The Melting Pot. The experience was so amazing that I knew right away I had to duplicate it this year. Same crew reunited for the 2nd Annual Anthrocon Fondue night, with two new additions in  skippyfoxcub and  spatsbear. The experience was even more amazing the second time around. It was like an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations -- Great food and great conversation was in ample supply. At the end, I told Diesel to make sure a third AC fondue night is organized if I can't make it back. Perhaps I can make this my Anthrocon legacy?

A few other fond memories and shout outs:

HUGE one to  mooglepower! Not only was he my duct tape dummy maestro (of which I still owe him dinner!) it was because of him that I knew my missing fursuit had arrived on a later flight. Thank you so much for making sure baggage services was aware of it!

East meets West: Not since Gorbachev and Reagan got together has the world seen two heavyweight titans come together for the first time! While at Tonic having some drinks with car nut  Dogbomb (California - dog), I noticed car nut  coopertom (New Jersey - cat) had arrived on the scene. I called him over and introduced the two to each other. My biggest regret? 1) Not photographing the moment and 2) Not hanging around long enough to see if a Furry Top Gear episode would have resulted!

Dinner at the fancy Omni joint with  autumnfox and  cadpigjr. Sorry you had to watch us tear through our steaks while you were trying to simply enjoy a light dessert, but I'm glad we had you along! Also props for coming to Maxarcade's rescue with your Maytag Fursuit repair door-to-door service!

 Hysterium and  BalooBear - Wow. would have really loved to spend more time with both of you! I'm hoping I get the chance to do that sometime soon in the future. Hyst, I hope things get better soon for you and we can get you out to FC. Baloo? I'm glad I got to see you at least a few times. I was very glad to finally meet Molbie. He seems like a great guy (just get him to tweet more!) Also, I think you'll also know what I mean when I say thank you for facing a tough challenge like a pro. :)

 mehndix and  sunstreak - Same thing. Too many people, too little time. I'm pretty sure you'll both be at FC and if you are, a special dinner will be waiting for you when you get here. :)

Noob - I'm really glad you made it! I'm especially glad you seemed to have a great time while there. It wouldn't have been the same experience without you there.

Finally, my roomies Diesel and DJ. Sorry I goofed on the room (especially sorry to DJ, who bore the brunt). DJ, thanks for the great Mehndi commish! Diesel, thanks for warmly hosting and chauffering again and putting up with my moodiness with my missing suit. Most of all, thank you both for being wonderful friends and working hard to accommodate me. I'll always appreciate it.

Geez, I know there's more I wanted to say, but even this edited version is getting lengthy. Maybe I'll post some more thoughts later. Till then, back to reality!

Yeah, I bopped on down to Califur on Saturday.

The initial plan was to quick hit the con, have some fun and shake out some modifications I made to my fursuit. Things started out well -- surprising friends who didn't think I'd be there, playing some cards, having fun, etc.

Unfortunately, I got hit with some sort of stomach ailment later in the evening that brought me down for the rest of the night. I'm thinking it could have been the pre-prepped food from the banquet at the con or the Rubios fish taco I had when I landed. Whatever it was, it was a pretty miserable late night for me.

Ah well! I suppose it was only a matter of time before I got sick at one of these things. I'll try to be back for the whole enchilada next year!

Alright, as of this exact moment it looks like I'll be at the inaugural PawFur con/furmeet in Reno, NV on May 13th.

The plan at the moment is to head up the night before and play in one of the prelims for the Spring Pot O' Gold poker tournament the night before, then hit the con up the next day. Departure will probably be either that evening or very early the next morning since work will be grumpy if I don't show.

PawFur's a startup pre-con sorta thingy in Reno that's supporting the Nevada Humane Society and SPCA Nevada - both of whom I've worked with on rescues. If this one's a success, they'll shoot for a full-blown con the following year. You can read all about it here: http://www.pawfur.com/

The Pot O' Gold tournament appeals to my more degenerate nature. The buy-in's pretty low at $145 so I won't be out a ton. Once upon a time, this was a stop on the World Poker Tournament's schedule, but it's still a pretty large-scale event even without the WPT. I can't get a room the night before, but I have a killer tournament rate for my room on Sunday. Feel free to DM me if you're planning on going and I'll get you info on getting the same deal I got. :)

Of course, this all can go up in a puff of smoke and I could decide to pull the plug last minute depending on circumstances around the homestead. For now I'll plan on it though.

Anyway, since this is a meet that has some programming to it, I think it qualifies for one of those con meme dealybobos, so here's mine:

Where are you staying? Grand Sierra Resort on Sunday. Probably Harrahs on Saturday evening.

What day are you getting there/leaving? Con's only one day, so I'll be there Sunday.

Who will you be staying with? Dunno yet.

Do you do free art? I will attempt to be artistic the night before at my table in the Pot O' Gold tornament. :)

Do you do trades? I'll give you a bag of rocks and you give me a full, watercolor commission of my character dressed in flowing robes, looking heroic. Deal?

Do you do commissions? Nope

Do you do badges? Nyet

What is your gender? - male

How old are you? - 47

Are you taken? - Yup!

What suits will you have? It's the polar's turn in the rotation I believe.

Can I touch you? Welcome hugging's ok. Beyond that, you probably don't want to

Can I talk to you? That's what I'm there for!

Can I buy you lots of drinks? A capital idea my good boy!

Can I buy you food and/or eat meals with you? Yeppers!

Can I hug or snuggle with you? Hugs are awesome. See the touching thing a few questions above.

How tall are you? 5'11"

Are you nice? I think I'm at least 65% on the "nice" scale.

Are you cliquey? That would involve having friends.

Do you have an artist table? No, but hopefully I'll be at the final table the night before. :)

Do you like parties? Are we even going to have time to party at this thing? *headslaps* Stupid me, you're furries! Of course there'll be some sort of party!

If I see you, how should I get your attention? The large polar bear doctor is Hunt. If you see him, shout his name out. Out of suit just yell "Yo Bjorn!".

Can I hang out with you? I'm sure I'll be on the move a lot. On the other hand, there's not really a lot of places I can move to at this one. ;)

How can I find you? I'll be somewhere in the Nevada Foyer. If you're there the night before, come on out and sweat me at my tourney table. :)

Yahoo Fantasy Hockey is over for another season. I'm surprised and glad to say I finished second in the (individual??) match-up department, falling to  blizzardwuffy in the finals. My team in the  hockeyfurs league just narrowly lost the league championship, so I'm part of a second place finish there as well.

The cool thing about the finish is how my species fared. :)

Individual:

3 bears finished in the top 5 -- myself,  belicbear and  phoenixaudubon.

Team:

Bears factored into this as well. I finished on the runner-up team alongside my teammate  phoenixaudubon. The team that edged us was led by  bedtimebear.

Yeah, I think us ursine types might know just a wee bit about the game! :)

Anywho, now onto the NHL playoffs. If San Jose makes it great. If not, that's great too. I'm of the belief that serious change needs to be made to that team, even if it means forgoing playoffs for a few years. I'm not interested in them squeaking in as the eighth seed so they can get thwacked by Vancouver or St. Louis.

So my summer will begin with one eye on the Stanley Cup race, the other on the unfolding baseball season. Then a bit later, it'll be time to settle into draft HQ (Hopefully at the Rainfurrest hotel bar like last year!) and put together my best draft ever. :)

Enjoy the playoffs everyone! :)

I already posted this in my LJ, and I wasn't really intending to post it here. However, since it could impact my furry socializing I may as well.

My spouse recently found out that her department will be shutting down operations out here. She has been given an offer to relocate to one of several similar departments throughout the country. Right now we are looking at two of those cities as either relocation destinations or as a temporary home for her if she elects to take that offer.

Now nothing's set in stone, including the possibility she'll stay out here and work in a department that's more customer service oriented. She might also elect to take the severance package. Really at this stage, pretty much everything's on the table.

I'm mentioning this because this could very well impact me hanging out with any of you for at least a while. If she decides to take one of these jobs, we'll be separated during the week and really only be able to see each other on some weekends by me either flying out to her or her coming here. That means I might not be attending many local fur events. My con schedule also could be impacted, but as of right now my plan cons (AC, Rainfurrest and FurFright) are still a go.

Financially, we're stable. We recently refinanced the house, so it'd be affordable if one of us is laid off. If the bomb drops at my job and I'm left unemployed, we have enough stability to ensure our house is paid off in full, eliminating that expense.

The dynamics could also change if we both relocate. Right now the two leading candidates are Salt Lake City (We'd be able to keep our house in CA if we go this route) or Wallingford, CT. If we go to CT, we'd view that as more of a perma-move and would likely sell our house here or rent it out. If we do both move, that will open opportunities to see a lot of folks I never or rarely get to see from the east, which will be nice, but that probably wouldn't start happening right away.

So that's where we're at 4 days into getting the news. Her department closes June 30, so there's some time to make the decision. I just hope we make the right one.

I'm looking for a logo-oriented artist to help me with a design for a custom poker chip set. The artwork will be the inlay for a set of chips similar to these:

http://www.customizedpokerchips.com.....logo-chip-set/

If anyone knows of any available artist that would like to take this on as a commission, please shoot them my way. I'd like see if there's any interest in taking this on.

Thanks in advance!

We have successfully turned the corner on both the holiday season and winter solstice. But wait! Yet another milestone event is rapidly approaching! None other than that rolickin' mass of B.O., booze and general bad behavior known to the world as Further Confusion.

It is my honor – nay, my duty – to provide you with my general profile-thingy for the con. So strap in kids – here we go!

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Arriving late Wednesday evening via Chevy Tahoe. Leaving either late Monday evening or Monday mid-afternoon.

Staying at Marriott.

Rooming with – No one! Ahh...wonderful seclusion!

Gender is male – in case you haven't figured that out yet!

Don't do trades, gift art, free art or any sort of art. I am a lousy artist. I would be pelted with rocks or at least over-ripe veggies if I attempted to pick up a pen or pencil.

Yes, you can talk to me. I may even talk back!

You'll know if it's ok to touch me. There won't be any mystery involved with that one!

Yes, you can provide me free drinks, meals and money. I'd be silly to say no to that!

After packing on weight over the Ho-Ho-Ho time, You better believe I'll be fursuiting to lose some of the unwanted poundage and get back to my normal, blobular self! Hopefully this won't be offset by all the drinking I plan to do.

Get my attention? Try to refrain from clubbing me over the head like a baby seal with a 2 x 4 please!

Hanging out with – hopefully a lot of you. I'll be free-agenting it the whole weekend, so hopefully I'll get a chance to see a lot of folks, both new and old. I do want to take some time for some drunken karaoke with a certain bear, share some sushi with two wonderful couples I know and pound down a few coronas with a couple G-Sheps!


Bjorn's Fun FC Facts!

FC was the first furry con I've ever attended. This year will be my 5th anniversary at FC. :)

I actually lived in San Jose for the majority of the first 18 years of my life.

My junior high school once was located on the site of the current Adobe building just a block away from the convention center and Marriott and Hilton.

I'm a die-hard Sharks fan and have been to games each season since the beginning. Sadly, they're on the road this year, so no go on the FC hockey night at the Tank.

This year will mark the third different venue for FC (for me at least) that I've been to. (Doubletree, Fairmont, now CC).

Poker success? Placed 2nd in the 2009 tourney. Finished out of contention in 2010. Was relaxing in my personal headless lounge (i.e. my room) during the 2011 tourney. I want it all this year!

So far, I haven't been called upon to act as limo service to the airport for any out-of-town furs. I have provided this service in the past – without the silly hat!

My Significant One MAY be around on Saturday ghosting the Fursuit Parade. So uhh....be normal -- or at least as normal as you can be!

That's it for now class. If you have any questions, feel free to use any of the contact info you see on my profile page.

Looking forward to seeing a lot of you there!

Ok, so I got my vacation bid for next year today. First time I've ever received it this early, so that shocked the hell out of me! It did offer some significant disappointment though right off the bat, which you'll see below. Other than that, things are looking up for con travel in the new year. :)

In 2012, I shall be at the following:

Further Confusion -- Unfortunately, the critical Friday of the con was blocked by the person one above me in seniority. I doubt she'll part with it since she's booked a trip to Disneyland. This means I'll either have to throw myself on the mercy of my supervisor (HA!) and beg for an exception, or I'll have to call out sick that day, something I'm loathe to do. Since this is my "local" con, I could also leave for it late Friday night, getting in late-late, but I'll be stuck with going through pre-reg on Saturday, killing more of the precious little time I'll have there. Don't quite know how I'm going to handle this right now.

Anthrocon - If the con was on its normal dates, I'd be able to make the whole thing. As it is, I'll be able to make it, but I'll have to leave Sunday. Glad to give this one another go!

Rainfurrest -- Had a blast at my first one this year and I'm really glad I'll get a chance to do it all over again next year!

Furfright -- Yay!! I'll be back for this wonderful con next year! :) Had to miss this year due to a vacation conflict, so I'm really happy I'll get the chance for a redo!

Others still in the running:

After I submit my first selections, the schedule goes back to the top of the list for backfill. If there's any time left over from that and other vacation scheduling, I might be able to get to one of these as well:

FWA -- Never been, but heard good things about it.

Califur -- The first day of the con is blocked, but its close enough I might give the rest a try.

Megaplex -- Free and clear on the schedule, just a matter of how much time I'll have available.

Ok, now that I've figured this all out, I think I deserve some sleep! Please excuse any typos as I typed this journal out after futsing with my calendar for two hours. See ya'll when I wake up!

The most magical time of the year is upon us! Rejoice!

Also time for a change of avi to get in the mood. :)

GO SHARKS!!!!!

(Below is mostly regurgitated from my LJ)

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In short, I had an AMAZING time! This one was a bit different than the last few cons in that I didn't have set plans to room or hang with anyone in particular for an extended period of time. I was going into this in "freestyle cruising" mode -- wanting to go where I wanted at any time and visit with who I wanted at any time. Except for one day where I couldn't coordinate dinner plans, that worked great for me! Now this doesn't mean that I haven't enjoyed past roomies or friends I've spent a lot of time with in the past. I do and I look forward to doing more of the same. This was just different and a bit refreshing.

Lots of positives at this con! Quick and cheap flight up for me. Hotel room on the first floor (a first for me!). Met a ton of cool folks. Had plenty of time to roam around the con in suit. Even managed to snag a Tani Da Real sketch, which I'll try to get scanned in a bit later!

Probably the only few downers I can think of is the lack of cell signal at the hotel. For a hotel situated across the street from a major Pan Pacific international airport, the signal on the property was horrid! I burned through my phone batteries in half the time I normally would, since it was constantly hunting for a signal. The layout of the different modules of the hotel was also a bit haphazard. It took quite a while to hike from my room over to the convention center. Nothing big, but like at Anthrocon, all those extra steps add up at the end of the day.

The other great thing about this con were the folks I did get a chance to hang around! Got to participate in my live fantasy hockey draft while downing drinks with fellow teammate  phoenixaudubon. Attended an excellent tiki room party (as well as a test-run Friday night get-together) thrown by  skyote and  MrSkyote. Met some awesome folks there for sure!

On the subject of great couples, I had the great fortune of meeting  KazulGFox and  FrosteeFox in person for the first time. Awesome energetic couple! I really look forward to spending more time with them at Further Confusion next year. :)

It wouldn't be a con without having a chance to share a beer with  dogbomb and  teh, so I managed to get that one in just before checking out. Great to hang with the dogs to end the con!

Anyway, back at the grind now. Thought I had a few minutes to get this in, but that was about 5 hours ago and it's been busy since. No more cons for me the rest of the year, but one big one coming at the beginning of next. :)

As I was unpacking my stuff tonight and doing laundry, I thought I might share a sampling of some of the carnage in the wake of the great con that was Rainfurrest 2011. After all, what says more about how great a con was than what trash you left behind?

---

The List:

Diveskin shirt - Only needed 1 for the con. It managed to dry enough between suiting sessions.

Underarmour suiting bottoms: Went through three pairs. All in the wash now

Underarmour hood: 1 (That was a surprise, but again, sufficient drying time

Toe claws lost: 1 and 1 recovered

T-shirts: Went through 4, currently in the wash

Socks: 5 pairs

Swimsuit: Needs a rinse. Got a workout with three different trips to the pool, pre-Joy detergent treatment.

Towels: Probably about 4

Bear sweat: At least 50 gallons

Hemmeroidal wipes: 4 (Thanks for sharing Bjorn!)

Blue Moon Ale purchased from the fine folks at 7-11: 4, with two left behind for the maid. :)

Pizza container, also from 7-11: 1 (and one case of heartburn to go with it)

Shampoo/Conditioner: Made the Hilton-supplied set last the whole con - just!

Tums: 1 pack

Tips left: What do I look like, a math wizard?

Vending machine Sprites: 3

7-11 Banana Slurpees: 2

Rum consumed: You'll have to ask  mrskyote that one. Hopefully he'll let me close the deficit at FC. :)

Hilton breakfast eggs, potatoes and bacon consumed: 3 helpings, with one bonus bacon strip supplied by  jakebe

Q-tips: 4

Personal Dignity: I think it's still around here somewhere *checks his duffel*

---

Ok that was fun. Actual con recap coming soon to my LJ. Bedtime now!

Yeah, yeah...time for one of these again:

Where are you staying? Kingdome. Wait...it's not there anymore? Uhh...either Bill Gates's place or the SeaTac Hilton

What day are you getting there/leaving? Thursday evening, leaving Sunday evening

Who will you be staying with? My roomies, Peace and Quiet. No offence to my old roomies, but these guys are ok with floor space.

Do you do free art? You would need a mental health checkup if you want any art from me, free or otherwise.

Do you do trades? It would be very one-sided in my favor.

Do you do commissions? See two questions above.

Do you do badges? See above

What is your gender? - male

How old are you? - 45

Are you taken? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZm0.....eature=related

What suits will you have? This one, http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4876862, if he doesn't get bumped from his flight.

Can I touch you? If you have to ask yourself the question "Could touching this possibly land me in jail or the hospital?" then you probably don't want to touch me there.

Can I talk to you? That's what I'm there for!

Can I buy you lots of drinks? Oh, that's always an excellent idea!

Can I buy you food and/or eat meals with you? I'm a bear. What do you think? :D

Can I hug or snuggle with you? Hugs are awesome. Snuggling..naahh.

How tall are you? 5'11"

Are you nice? I think so, unless I'm going through nicotine withdrawl. Oh yeah, did I mention I might be quitting smoking sometime around the con?

Are you cliquey? I'm more snappy.

Do you have an artist table? Only the one that I'll be at in the bar in which I'll attempt to get a random top-flight artist drunk enough to recreate the Sistine Chapel painting on the ceiling of the San Jose Convention Center with my character as Adam in time for FC. :D

Do you like parties? They're ok, especially when bulldozers, tequila and chainsaws are involved.

If I see you, how should I get your attention? Just shout "Yo! Bjorn!" Please try not to call me names though. My ego bruises easily.

Can I hang out with you? The question is, can I hang out with you?

How can I find you? Don't worry...I'll find you. :)

You really don't have to go much past the first two photos, but I'm thinking you'll want to. :)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/pu.....rn=nhl-wp10450

How should I put this? Anthrocon was so freakin' fun! Had a great time hanging out with friends, making new ones, seeing others I rarely get to see. Yeah, I think I'll try this one again next year if work lets me out!

Couple of things I'll do differently next time:

1) I will stay at either the Courtyard or the Westin. Yeah, the Westin has the elevator wait issue, but I noticed that really only got bad at prime times. I think I can easily work around that. The Omni was a beautiful hotel, the staff was great and our room was HUGE! The walk down to the Westin wasn't even that bad. However, it was just far enough to prevent random spontaneous suiting. Another thing that made me a bit nervous were the non-con hotel guests. There were a few times they were getting drunkenly belligerent in the lobby with some of the con attendees. Once outside the hotel, the reaction from folks on the street was fantastic! I noticed some of the bus and duck boat tours made their way down to the convention center and even heard the tour guide describe what was going on. That was pretty cool! :)

2) Be in better shape: This one is a given with me anyway, but I want to really better prepare for all the walking involved at this con. I spent a fair amount of time in the Dealers Den, and those floors are really unforgiving. I realize I got a break with the weather this year, so I have to expect more heat along with that walking next year. I'll be ready!

3) Take time to do some of the con - Stupid! -- Didn't make it to any of the dances. Only went to one panel/show. Didn't hit a workshop. None of it. What I did do was hang out with a lot of great people though - something that'll always be my top priority at any con. I think since my hotel was just outside the action zone, it got hard to go back to soak in the con experience. Next year, there'll be some more participation from me. I am NOT doing any hot sauce challenge at Tonic though!

With that, I wrap up my AC experience with a summary of accomplishments grabbed from my LJ. Enjoy!

Calories consumed: Fondue alone had to be over 9000
Calories burned: Not enough to turn me into Slim Goodbody
Number of times I heard the cries of "I need an adult": 126
Number of times I heard "Thriller" played from the ballroom right above our hotel room: 1
Fursuits in room: 4
Miles walked: 20 lightyears
Drinks consumed: 1/3 bottle premium sake, 8 Yuenglings (corrected from LJ post, I forgot the two pints I had at Primanti Bros.), 2 vodka and ojs, 2 some sort of mango/triple sec/vodka concoctions. Oh, and coffee...lots and lots of Dunkin Coffee!
Money spent on food and drinks: Let's just say one of my paychecks will be going towards the food expenses at AC O.o
Hours slept: I'd say about 22 total. Somewhat respectable. You'd think it was a workweek or something!
Hours fursuited: About 5 or 6 - Yeah, I was a weenie this trip :(
Total hours in Pittsburgh: 97
Chance I'll be back to AC next year: Quite likely!

Not the best of vid work, but I've got a few things to share :)

First, what happens when 3 fuzzies meet up with a weekend boater, his girlfriend and her tiny dog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brc5sm_zjSw

Second, some LQ capture from my UStream account of the Westin Lobby on Friday afternoon. Stay tuned cuz you never know who's going to end up showing up :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwzi.....eature=related

Enjoy!

The amount of time I'm allowing myself to rest between work and packing for Anthrocon.

Don't really know how much sleep I'll get tonight. Last night was only 3 hours. I really need to try and play catch-up tonight.

No boring y'all with yet another AC meme. Just check the Califur one, it'll be much the same.

I am getting into town Wednesday evening and will be staying at the W. Penn Omni with  dieselrottie. Sadly, I have to leave Sunday evening because of work. Should be able to fit a great amount of fun into the weekend though. :)

While in the fine city of Pittsburgh, I'll have to take a little time to work on a personal project of mine -- the details of which will be revealed later this year. Other than that, I'm just going to float with the wind and see where I end up at any given time. :)

This will be my first trip to Anthrocon. In fact, it's going to be my first ever visit to Pennsylvania. I don't need to wander around in Amish attire do I? Granted, that could look pretty bad ass, but still.

If you see me wandering about aimlessly, just flag me down or pop a beer in my hand. That'll work just as well.

See you all soon! :)

In the spirit of bumping down the last downer journal and cuz I suppose it's time for one of these, I hearby present my Califur meme thingie:


Arrival/Departure:
Should be there sometime around 3:30 - 4ish on June 2. Leaving June 5th in the late afternoon. Hate Monday work, bleh!

Staying at:
My yacht is in dry dock at Newport Beach, so I suppose I'll be at the Irvine Marriott instead.

Mode of Transportation:
Airbus A320 followed by a vanilla rental car courtesy of Hertz at the Long Beach Airport.

Room share:
 dieselrottie gets the honor of hearing my jet engine like snoring.

Who will I be with?
There are going to be some folks I'll try to hunt down, but I'm not telling you who. I figure it'll be more fun this way!

Fursuit?
Maybe, if you ask nicely!

Attending parties?
I hear KROQ is going to be back again this year. Could make some parties worth attending.

Best way to find me?
Look for the huge brown bear -- or send a follow request to me on Twitter bjorn_grafeldr. There's a good chance I'll update my current whereabouts on that.

Stage performance?
Not unless somebody slips something powerful into one of my drinks.

Drink?
The best thing about these memes is they're loaded with silly questions. This would be one of them.

Smoke?
Doing battle with quitting right now, with some success. If I'm completely successful, you'll see me vaping instead.

Hugs?
Sure, as long as you follow the tennents of not being stinky and being over 18.

Talk?
Sure, just remember I'm pretty quiet at first. Don't get too scared off by that.

Do you do trades?
Can't draw to save my life or anyone elses, but I'll gladly scrawl something on a cocktail napkin in exchange for a fabulous piece of art. Don't bet I can't get you drunk enough to take that offer either!

Gender?
Dude.

How old are you?
45

Can I touch you?
Weelllllll....if you have to ask I'd probably say the answer to this is "no".

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
That would be swell!

Can I give you lots of money?
*checks his foreign bank account balances* Yep, it looks like I could fit in some more cash in one of these.

Height?
5' 11"

Are you nice?
I like to think so.

Are you cliquey?
I'm not the 'popufur' type, that sort of lets out having a clique.

Can I stalk you?
I'll be too busy stalking you instead.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Just shout out my name. Try not to blow spitwads or martini olives at me though.

Can I ask you to dance with me?
First dance or two are reserved, but maybe afterwards.

Can I buy you breakfast/lunch/dinner sometime?
You absolutely may do that sir and or ma'am!

Can I take a picture of you?
Oh yeah! I'm going to try to be in suit for quite a bit this con, so feel free to flag me down.

Would you like to get a commission done of you?
I'm picking up a few pre order pieces from some awesome artists that I'll premier when I'm there. Maybe if I can make something work with someone while there. We'll see.

Do you have a badge pre-order journal you can link me to?
Well, my art style could be called apocalyptic, so it would at least fit into the theme of the con, but to play it safe I better not put up a pre-order journal.

Major plans for the con:
Gonna try to stuff as much fun and socializing as I can till I have to leave Sunday afternoon. Looking forward to it!

First, I'd like to thank everyone on Twitter who sent condolences about the loss of my dog yesterday. Yesterday was a real gut punch to me, so much that I'm still sort of reeling from it.

A few words about Juniper:

Juniper came to our household initially as a foster in 2003. She was one of 8 cattle dogs that were rescued from a meth lab drug bust in the foothills. Up until the rescue she apparently was isolated from the other dogs in the home. As a consequence, she wasn't really socialized with either humans or other dogs. This made finding a permanent home for her an extreme challenge.

Before coming to our home, Juniper was fostered by two individuals who provide rescue services on pretty much a full time basis. Both were well versed on dealing with unsocialized animals. Both eventually came to the conclusion they wouldn't be able to keep her.

Our initial intent was to temporarily foster Junie till we could make arrangements on either a permanent home, or possibly transporting her to the Best Friends sanctuary in Utah. Unable to find a stable willing home, we contacted Best Friends about the situation, but were rejected since their resources were stretched.

Thus Junie became a permanent member of our household. From the start, she got along great with our Border Collie Annie. We called her the "Junior Leader in Training" noting that she would follow Annie's lead everywhere she went and tried to do everything Annie would do. With her short stature and small legs, it was almost comical watching her romp around after her leader.

As much as we took pride providing a safe and caring home for Junie, it didn't come without a price. Juniper remained skiddish around people -- us included. Each time we'd even walk by her spot in the kitchen, we'd be greeted with loud barking and defensive behavior. Walking her on a leash was near-impossible. She would either become catatonic and weigh herself down to the floor or would become agitated if you attempted to guide her along. For exercise, we opted to send her out to our large backyard to chase after her brother and sister. Since she was such a specialized case, we really didn't feel we could trust anyone else to look after her, except one family member. This made taking vacations or going out of town tough on both of us.

Despite all the sacrifices, I'm glad to have had her in my life. For the past several years it was great seeing tiny breakthroughs in our interactions. I loved watching our three dogs chase after one another in play. Most of all, I'm glad we gave the dog everyone else gave up on one final chance to just feel comfortable and be a dog. That alone makes me feel a bit better.

The house is silent now, except for some occasional squeaks of a chew toy from our original cattle dog, Riley. We started with Riley and we're going to finish it out with him too. The path of destruction three largish breed dogs have brought us is great. Now the clean up begins, and our remaining dog will receive all the love and attention we have to give him.

Next journal entry will be less heavy. I promise. :)

Coming on quick straight outta the OC.

So who's going?

I need an artist that is currently taking MLP (My Little Pony) commissions!

Nah! Not for me. As a gag gift for a friend.

Ok, someone out there apparently grabbed my 6666th page view. Which one of you evildoers was it? Hmm?

Come to think of it, I wonder if the extra "6" actually nullifies the evilness of the preceding three 6's? In which case, whoever it was is now saintly and holy and can cure any illness or disease simply by having hands laid upon thee?

*shrugs* Dunno, It's possible!

So I figured I'd use it to bitch that I can't reply to tweets while at work, thanks to the measly 500 MB of RAM in my work machine. Scripts start going kablooie when I have Twitter up with my work stuff.

I really need a lean web alternative I can use rather than resorting to my phone, which is what I'm doing now. Any suggestions?

Cuz I need to order one of these up. Business needs you understand. right?

http://www.engadget.com/photos/impe.....-gp-0/#3898923